Volume 16 Issue 3
February 2013
Douglas County High School 2842 Front Street
Castle Rock, Colorado 80104 IB
A World for Learning
matters Group 4 Science Investigations
On February 6th, IB Science students displayed the results of their Group 4 science investigations in a group session
held after school in the North Commons. Each year, IB students, as part of their science class choice, complete a project
referred to as their Group 4 project: one of the IB internal assessments for science. The Group 4 designation refers to the
fact that Experimental Science is the 4th Subject Group of the IB curriculum that all IB students must complete.
The Group 4 project includes all of the IB sciences. The project involves
student groups designing, conducting, and analyzing an experiment on a
topic of their choice, though it must relate to the overall topic. This
year’s topic was “Sports” and students share the results of their research
in a poster session
format. As part of a
peer review, all those
attending were asked
to critique the displays,
evaluating them on
organization, visual
format, and science
content. They could
also comment on
anything they thought
was especially positive
about the
project.
Louise Kuehster, Tamar Hedeshian, Annie Bashaw, and Analicia Mathews and their project "How Does pH Affect Succinate Dehydrogenase." This is a study of cellular respiration.
Andris Arnold, Paul Braford, Tanay Nunno, Shympia Chongtoua, and Benton Hutchinson and their project "The Effect of Acid Rain on Stadium Grass." They did find that grass exposed to acid rain did not look healthy.
Austin Greene, Sabrina Jain, and Angela DesVeaux and their project "Placebo Effect." They used water, a placebo Gatorade, and real Gatorade to try and determine if there was any benefit to using a sports drink prior to exercise.
Ashley Tenbarge, Lochlan Wilson, Keegan Rogers, and Kaity Lewis and their project "Thermoregulatory Properties of Internal Homeostasis." They tested how homeostasis (the body's internal cooling system) is affected through exercise and different types of clothing being worn.
page 2 DCHS IB Matters February 2013
Coordinator’s Corner by Dr. Steve Fleet, DCHS IB Coordinator
The January International Baccalaureate graduate panel unanimously agreed that they enjoyed the month of their IB examinations. They felt prepared and, as a result, turned the examinations into opportunities to express ideas and to make connections. Such a sentiment should be heard and taken to heart by all of the teachers at Douglas County high school. I can think of no more meaningful evaluation.
Excellence in education cannot be constructed by new labels or outlined in lists of expectations. It is not dependent upon nor hindered by technology. When students confidently construct meaning, when they recast this meaning in order to develop new understandings, they participate in an ongoing creative enterprise. They proceed with confidence
and they engage in a process essential to democracy. They learn to greet uncertainty and ambiguity as old friends with whom interaction produces new confidences and perpetuating perspectives. They learn to see knowledge not as an end but as an essential means.
For an educational system to aspire to such lofty goals it must value human interaction. It requires students and teachers to engage in an environment that creates meaning. Ours is not a profession where the rewards can always be seen or measured with tools of convenience, with exams and checklists. Ours is a profession that values individuals, invests in creativity and, on occasion, can even make examinations fun.
IB: Excellence in Education
Seniors—Give Thanks!
Don’t forget to send thank-you notes to the teachers and counselors who have helped you with college recommendations letters, and especially, your extended essay!
Juniors—Register for summer Essay Workshop!
An Extended Essay Workshop will be held for DCHS juniors June 3-6 at CU Denver Auraria Campus. Sponsored by the IBPO, the workshop will cover essay components, guidelines, rubric, and research methods. Cost: $68. Registration forms will be available to all juniors in March—register ASAP . . . first come, first served!
Thank You to . . .
. . . Ricardo Arenas, Susan Becker, Patricia Castilo, Barbara Chongtoua, Larry Hamilton, Satya Kothiyal, Mary Kuehster, Nidhi Saxena, Mark Shively, Nelson Tan and Mary Williams for proctoring the Princeton Review Practice Exams. . . . Tracy Hagan, Dave Kakenmaster, Kristine Kolbus, and Sharynne Wilson for helping with set-up for the Princeton Review Practice Exams.
IB Bulle n Board Do you like to travel? Join us in Spain!
When: June 6 – 17, 2014
Who: Families, students, friends – anyone who wants to join!
Where: Ci es include Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Costa del Sol,
Seville, and Cordoba
Trip I nerary Link: www.e ours.com/1393948
****************************************************
For more informa on, a end one of our informa onal mee ngs:
Wednesday, February 20: 6pm in room 114 (DCHS)
Monday, March 11: 6pm in room 114 (DCHS)
Or contact any of the following trip leaders: Wendi White, Kim Clever, or Leah Yates
(e‐mails: [email protected],
Parents and students attended an informative evening on January 9th to be educated on what exactly CAS, TOK and the extended essay entail. They also met graduates from the IB program that are currently embarking on their college careers. Dr. Fleet spoke about the Theory of Knowledge Class (TOK). This class is taken once a week in the evening of the spring semester for seniors and in the fall semester for juniors. Dr. Fleet emphasized the importance of taking this class outside of regular school hours to motivate the students to be creative and relaxed in the class atmosphere without having the restriction and constraints of the school day carried into the space. He also spoke about how students learn to embrace thinking globally and outside their regular realm of thought process. Mrs. Clever and Mr. Umbach headed up the Extended Essay (EE) and Community, Action and Service (CAS) projects that each IB student also commits to completing. The extended essay is a research essay on any topic of the student’s choice. The topics range from subject areas such as math, history, biology and even labs. Mrs. Clever talked about the support that students receive via a mentoring teacher of their choice and a workshop that is held in a research library at CU Denver, Auraria Campus. The
extended essay can be between 2500 and 4000 words. Often students need help to leave some thoughts out of their essay when they have too much to say on their topic. The CAS project is 150 hours at a minimum. Again the students choose which aspects of their activities and community service to apply to these hours. Many students choose to play a varsity sport and reflect on that activity as their action hours. Some may climb a 14er. The service portion can be anything the student is passionate about. Mr. Umbach reinforced that the point is to try and make a difference to your community in some way, shape or form. Learn to be a good member of your society who is able to give back. This can be on a global platform through traveling to a different country or in your own neighborhood. The highlight of the night was talking with the alumni. These college students were inspiring and motivating to all in
the audience. All these young men and women emphasized how much IB had prepared and helped them in their college endeavors. They were asked how much IB credit they were given in college. Some earned as much as 24 credits. One engineering student did not earn IB credit, but she stated that Notre Dame would not have given her AP credit either. Some schools do not give credit very easily. This is something to consider when looking at colleges. However she did receive substantial financial help which she credits to her IB education preparing her for her application essay and appearing on her resume. Another message the alumni conveyed was that they too felt overwhelmed with the thought of IB during the early years of high school, but once they started and got organized, it was very achievable. All of the graduates carried multiple sports and activities while successfully completing their diploma requirements.
DCHS IB Matters February 2013 page 3
Class of 2015 IB Orientation & IB Alumni Panel
Our IB Grads Return for Panel
Riya Muckom—Colorado School of Mines
Maggie Kakenmaster—University of Notre Dame
Maddy Pluto—Villanova University
Paige Schroner—Mount Holyoke College
Justin Gerber—CU Boulder
Gigi Peccolo—University of Denver
Bell Peccolo—University of Denver
Mitch Sellers — University of Kansas
Tyler Kotre—CSU
As a new feature in the IB Matters Newsletter, an IBDP teacher will be highlighted. This month it is Mr. Michael Craven. Mr. Craven has been a teacher at Douglas County High School for 15 years. Those 15 years are his entire teaching career. He has taught at no other school. Mr. Craven teaches Honors Freshman World History/Geography, Honors Sophomore US History, IB Senior European History and Theory of Knowledge. He has been teaching the honors courses for his entire time at DCHS. He has taught the IB senior course off and on over the 15 years. Theory of Knowledge is new to Mr. Craven this year. What does Mr. Craven like about the IB Diploma Program? “I like the critical thinking outlets that IB requires as part of its curriculum. It allows you to have a relaxed pace to explore topics in detail, rather than anxiously eyeballing the clock and calendar as exams approach. I also like the amount of choice that is present on the IB exams. For example, history paper 3 has 24 questions offered, of which you choose 3 to answer. It’s a system that rewards what you know rather than punishes you for what you don’t know.” Mr. Craven attended University of Northern Colorado for his BA and College of William and Mary for his MA. On a personal note, Mr. Craven enjoys snowboarding, running, cycling, traveling, obsessive-compulsive cleaning, and chasing after his 3 year old daughter and his 12 year old cat. Mr. Craven is married to Kacee. They have a daughter, Kaija, a cat, Cash and a fish, Prince Leo von Hohenzollern.
page 4 DCHS IB Matters February 2013
IBDP Featured Teacher
IB Spring Dance Performance “IB Grimm”
Based on Various Grimm Fairytales Thursday & Friday—April 4th & 5th
7:00pm
DC Theatre Tickets: $8.00 / adult $6.00 / student, senior, child Free with activity card On line ticket sales available starting March 11th
Save the Date!
6th Annual IB Celebration Monday, April 29th
5:30pm–8:00pm
Come join us to celebrate our students’ achievements!!
ALL CLASSES SHOULD ATTEND THIS FUN EVENT!
Door Prizes Learner Profile Awards
Senior Recognition Food and drink
Parent volunteers needed for this fun event! Contact: [email protected]
Mr. Michael Craven
Mr. Craven and his daughter Kaija, in Aspen.
DCHS IB Matters February 2013 page 5
My name is Lochlan Wilson. I am currently a junior in IB. I have been playing varsity tennis for Douglas County for the last three years. While varsity tennis takes up almost all of my time during the fall season, I somehow also have to find ways to complete all of the study and work for my IB classes. Coming into IB I thought it was going to be extremely difficult. I heard rumors about staying up until 3am every night trying to get homework done and studying for tests. While I have had some late nights, none of it was due to the workload given by teachers. Time management is essential throughout IB and your high school career. During the tennis season I miss a large amount of school due to matches and tournaments. While it is very difficult to miss class, it is not impossible to play sports, even at varsity level and excel academically. This year I played in three tennis tournaments, getting 2nd place in one of them. IB is a challenging program designed to push students to succeed and drive them to their potential. It is not impossible, and the rumors about staying up all night and not being able to have a social life are only true if you procrastinate. The tennis season was rough and tiring and yes I had many late nights, but I am glad I chose to play varsity tennis. I tried many sports before I settled on tennis and can’t imagine not playing a sport during my high school years. Now I have the rest of the school year to focus on my academic achievements. The key is to be structured and organized. I know an IB diploma is going to give me the head start I need for college and that helps keep me focused.
Balancing IB and Varsity Sports By Lochlan Wilson, Junior
ACT TEST DATE AT DCHS—April 23! Juniors take this test; all others have a delayed start with classes starting at 12:30pm! All DCHS Juniors will take the state-mandated ACT exam on Tuesday, April 23rd at school. The test will be held from 7:45am—11:45am. A make up exam will be held on May 7th. There is no cost for taking this exam. Please note that the ESSAY portion of the ACT will NOT be included. Some colleges will accept the ACT without the essay but more colleges are requiring this. Check the web site of the colleges in which you are interested. If they require the essay portion, make sure to register for a second ACT test that includes the essay. To check dates and register for a test, visit:
http://www.actstudent.org/index.html On this day there is a delayed start (12:30pm) for all other grades who are asked to arrange their own mid-day transportation to school and eat lunch before arriving. Juniors will register for the test in March.
IB Coordinator
Dr. Steve Fleet (303) 387-1152 [email protected]
IB Administrative Assistant
Tracy Hagan (303) 387-1008 [email protected] Newsletter Comments, Suggestions, Articles
Sandy Hamilton [email protected]
Huskie IBPO Board [email protected] President Dave Kakenmaster
Vice President Kristine Kolbus Treasurer
Volunteer Coord Sue Becker Hospitality co-Chairs Fundraising Mary Williams Web site Trish Kakenmaster At-Large Mary Kuehster, Kristina Younker
IB matters HuskieIBPO.com
page 6 DCHS IB Matters February 2013
DCHS IB Students—Past and Present “In the News”
Junior, Wyatt Bryan’s 29-yard field goal as time expired gave Douglas County a 17-14 non-league victory over winless Rocky Mountain at French Field in Fort Collins. Bryan’s winning field goal came after DC’s senior, Eric Bryan recovered a fumble at the Rocky Mountain 22 yard line with 2:29 remaining in the game.
(Castle Rock News Press 9/27/2012)
The following IB students placed in the Inaugural Douglas County Tennis Invitational 2nd place to our 2 Doubles team, senior, Susheel Nalia and junior, Lochlan Wilson. 3rd place to our 1 Doubles teams, senior, Varun Katamaneni
(DCHS Morning Announcements 10/8/2012)
The following IB students placed in the Region 7 Tennis tournament 2nd place to our 1 Doubles team, senior, Varun Katamaneni 3rd place to our 4 Doubles team, sophomore, Shawn Ong and sophomore, Colton Salsbury 4th place to our 2 Singles, junior, JC Owens 4th place to our 3 Doubles team, senior, Kurt Delos Trino
(DCHS Morning Announcements 10/8/2012) Senior, Varun Katamaneni, advanced in the finals of the Class 5A Regional tennis tournament to compete in the No. 1 doubles tennis state tournament bracket against Mountain Vista.
(Castle Rock News Press 10/11/2012) The following IB students submitted entries in the Philip S. Miller Library Teen Photography contest.
Kammer Strachan, Senior Corinne Schroeder, Senior
Brigid McCreery, Junior Junior, Brigid McCreery received an honorable mention certificate. Senior, Corrine Schroeder was the 1st place Grand Prize Winner.
(Email from Mrs. Ross 12/6/2012)
Former IB student, Chad McGraw (DCHS IB ‘09) earned Academic All-American honors from the Colorado School of Mines.
(Email from Mr. Gardella 12/10/2012) Freshman, Sam Zimmer was part of a team of eight students representing the United States in the 14th International Robot Olympiad in South Korea. The team participated in the Robot Dance and Creativity, Transporter, and Robot Movie competitions.
(Castle Rock Your Hub 12/13/2012) Sophomore, Kyle Wolfe has been accepted to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. The forum is recognized as the nation’s foremost program in pre-medical education that high school students can participate in.
(Castle Rock Magazine January 2013)
The following IB students received exceptional recognition in the Regional Scholastic Art Contest. Senior, Rachel Radich received honorable mention for 2
of her paintings. Junior, Angela DesVeux received honorable mention for
one of her paintings. Senior, Claire Zai received honorable mention for one of
her sculptures. (Email from Mrs. Ross 1/28/2013)
The following IB students participated in the Mock Trial Regional Tournament on February 1st and 2nd.
Dalton Brander, Freshman Ryan DePinto, Senior
Jax Gonzales, Sophomore David Quintana, Senior Elisabeth Roy, Junior
Kayleigh TenBarge, Senior Matt Trexel, Sophomore
Paige Trexel, Sophomore Sophomore, Paige Trexel received the Best Attorney Award. Freshman, Dalton Brander received the Best Witness Award.
(Email from Ms. Johnson 1/31/2013)
(DCHS Morning Announcements 2/4/2013)
“A diamond is a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.”
---Unknown
Do you have an Extended Essay Advisor yet? Juniors! If you have not selected an Extended Essay advisor yet, you need to do so immediately. Several teachers are already “full.” Do not delay any longer asking a teacher to be your advisor!
DCHS IB Matters February 2013 page 7
The IB program at Douglas County High School has extended invitations to 68 students for the
2013—2014 school year
Academy Charter 1
Castle Rock Middle School 6
Cimarron Middle School 2
Cresthill Middle School 1
Douglas County High School 3
Mesa Middle School 38
Parker Core Knowledge 2
Ponderosa High School 1
Rock Canyon High School 2
Sagewood Middle School 10
Sierra Middle School 2
We look forward to the beginning of a great IB experience for each of these students. We sincerely thank the district high school and middle school staffs for their contributing efforts as students participated in the application process.
Attention Incoming IB Students!
If you are interested in participating in sports at DCHS and want to know about spring tryouts and sports camps, visit the DCHS web site and check out the Athletics page. If you do not find what you want there, contact Jan Shawcroft, the DCHS Athletics secretary at 303-387-1206.
SPRING COLLEGE FAIR
When: Sunday, April 14, 2013
Time: 1:00pm—3:30pm
Where: University of Denver
Visit with colleges and universities. Attend information sessions on the college selection process and scholarship sources. A terrific opportunity for juniors and interested sophomores and their parents to start or further the college search. Note: Parking is extremely limited and not free. Consider taking light rail as an option. For more information visit: http://www.rmacac.org/index.php/page/denvercollegefa
News ‘n Notes
Ms. Speegle’s 8th period Art class decorated the IB display case with IB student’s current artwork. For the future IB Art students will create props for the display and set up a program with the Art Department to manage the display case.
IB Art Students Decorate Display Case
Do you “Like” Huskie IBPO on Facebook? If you have a Facebook account, consider “liking” the Huskie IBPO. The page contains upcoming events, scholarship opportunities, advice and deadlines. The easiest way to join is by visiting the IBPO web site, www.huskieibpo.com, and clicking on the link on the home page.
page 8 DCHS IB Matters February 2013
Princeton Review Practice ACT/SAT Testing
IBPO Hospitality Chairperson Needed! The IB Parent Organization is in need of a hospitality chairperson. The hospitality chairperson coordinates refreshment set-up at multiple events throughout the school year and coordinates the end of the year banquet. If you are interested send an email to [email protected]
IBPO Treasurer Needed! The IB Parent Organization is in need of a treasurer. Treasurer role: Should have a strong background in accounting. Presents the current IBPO budget at monthly meetings and is responsible for collecting and disbursing funds. This role requires knowledge of spreadsheets. If you are interested send an email to [email protected]
On Saturday morning, February 9th more than 125 students took part in the Princeton Review Practice Exams. The students chose from three tests; ACT, SAT and Princeton Review Assessment (PRA). The exams will be graded and scores returned to the students. The students kept their test booklets so they could refer to them while reviewing their test scores.
While the students took the tests, their parents were invited to attend three different presentations. The presentations lasted one hour. Each was given 3 times during the morning, giving a parent the chance to participate in all of the presentations.
One presentation was from Sara Tierney of Mosaic Admissions, LLC. Sara provides high school students guidelines into colleges of their choice. Sara discussed the admission process for each of the four years of high school. In the
freshman year, the student must stretch themselves academically, including AP and/or honor courses. In the sophomore year, the focus needs to be on quality extracurricular activities. In the junior year, a student must maintain strong grades in challenging courses. The student will take the SAT test and ACT test. The student should identify several teachers for college admissions recommendations. In the senior year, a student must strive for “As”. Take the SAT test or ACT test, if needed, Another presentation was from Nicholas West-Miles of The Princeton Review. Nicholas provided many tips for taking the SAT and ACT tests. For example, a student must know the grammar rules when taking both tests. The SAT consists of an essay, reading, math, and grammar. The ACT consists of grammar, math, reading, science, and essay. The SAT
penalizes students for wrong answers, the ACT does not. The third presentation was from Jay Murray of Solutions for Tuition. Jay gave a presentation related to today’s ever increasing cost of college tuition and what can be done to reduce those costs. As a Certified College Planner, Jay had a couple of very important messages for his audience. He said that every family can cut college tuition costs and the only family that should pay full price for college tuition is the family that chooses to do so. Jay discussed the comparative cost of going to a public university, a public out of state university or a private university and what we might expect to pay at each institution. More importantly, he also dis-cussed how we might be able to reduce those costs by implementing strategies to reduce our EFC, or Expected Family Contribution.
Nicholas West-Miles of The Princeton Review.
Sara Tierney of Mosaic Admissions, LLC.
Jay Murray of Solutions for Tuition.
DCHS IB Matters February 2013 page 9
Theater– April 1, Research Investigation Theater-April 5, Independent Project Portfolio
Dance Performance- April 4&5
Art & Design-Visual Interviews
1
LAST DAY FOR IB SENIORS TO ATTEND CLASS. PLEASE ARRANGE WITH NON IB CLASSES TO TAKE YOUR FINALS
2
8:00 AM English A Lit HL Paper 1 (2h)
1:00 PM Economics HL Paper 1 (1h30m)
3
8:00 AM Economics HL Paper 2 & Paper 3 (2h30m)
1:00 PM English A Lit HL Paper 2 (2h)
6
8:00 AM Physics SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h) 1:00 PM Philosophy HL Paper 1 (2h30m) Philosophy SL Paper 1 (1h45m) Psychology HL Paper 1 (2h) Psychology SL Paper 1 (2h)
7
8:00 AM Philosophy HL Paper 2 & Paper 3 (2h30m) Philosophy SL Paper 2 (1h) Psychology HL Paper 2 & Paper 3 (3h) Psychology SL Paper 2 (1h)
1:00 PM Physics SL Paper 3 (1h)
8
1:00 PM History HL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h30m)
9
8:00 AM History HL Paper 3 (2h30m) 1:00 PM Mathematics HL Paper 1 (2h) Mathematics SL Paper 1 (1h30m) Math. Studies SL Paper 1 (1h30m)
10
8:00 AM Mathematics HL Paper 2 (2h) Mathematics SL Paper 2 (1h30m) Math. Studies SL Paper 2 (1h30m)
1:00 PM Chinese Lang B SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (3h)
13
1:00 PM Biology HL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (3h15m) Biology SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h)
14
8:00 AM Biology HL Paper 3 (1h15m) Biology SL Paper 3 (1h)
15
16
8:00 AM Spanish B SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (3h) Spanish B ab initio SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h30m) 1:00 PM Chemistry SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h)
17
8:00 AM Chemistry SL Paper 3 (1h)
IB Exam Schedule for May 2013
20
8:00 AM French B SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (3h)
French B ab initio SL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (2h30m)
French B HL Paper 1 & Paper 2 (3h)
Parents! We will be asking for donations for exam snacks as we get closer to May exam time.
IMPORTANT! Parents of Juniors! IB Exams cost an average of $750 per student. The fee for exams is due in the fall of your student’s Senior year and is billed separately from any other fees assessed by the school district.
Plan ahead now for this cost! A late fee of $50 is charged if your student does not register for the exams before the deadline. Fees are due when the registration is turned in. Scholarships are available for Free/Reduced qualifying families.
21
1:00 PM Mathematics HL Paper 3 (1h)
MARCH
9 SAT Test Date, 7:30 am, North Bldg 13-14 DCHS Band Concert 22-23 Speech State Tournament 22 NO SCHOOL—Teacher Work Day 25-29 SPRING BREAK
APRIL 1 Theater Research Investigation 4-6 All State Band 4-5 IB Dance Show 7pm 5 Theater Independent Project Portfolio 11-13 FCCLA State Conference 13 IB Dance Assessments PROM @ Mile High Station 8:00pm-11:00pm 14 Spring College Fair @ DU 1:00pm-3:30pm 18-20 DCHS Theatre Production 21 FBLA State Conference 23 ACT Test at DCHS 23-25 Spring Arts Festival 26 NO SCHOOL — Teacher Comp Day 29 End of Year IB Party—North Commons 5:30pm
MAY 1 Last day of school for IB Diploma Candidate Seniors 2-21 IB EXAMS 2-4 One Act Festival 4 SAT Test 7 ACT Make-up DCHS Orchestra Concert 7pm 8 DCHS Band Concert 7pm 9 DCHS Choir Concert 7pm 13 Senior Finals Periods 1, 3 14 Senior Finals Periods 2, 4 15 Senior Finals Periods 5, 7 16 Senior Finals Periods 6, 8 17 Senior Picnic 10am 22 Graduation practice 1pm Honors Convocation 6:30pm 23 GRADUATION 9AM (No regular school) 24 Finals Periods 1, 2, 3 28 Finals Periods 4, 5, 6 29 Finals Periods 7, 8 / Last day of school
JUNE 3-6 Extended Essay Workshop—CU Denver Auraria Library
DCHS IB Calendar
Douglas County School District Douglas County High School International Baccalaureate 2842 Front Street Castle Rock, CO 80104
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